The present disclosure relates to a temperature control system, method and apparatus. More specifically, a system, method and apparatus for controlling a range of temperature attributes of a beverage contained within a server or reservoir is disclosed.
The correct temperature of a beverage at the time of dispensing from a server has been a subject of interest in the food service industry. Whether in a home, office, restaurant or retail setting, a beverage consumer has expectations that hot and cold beverages will be provided or otherwise dispensed within certain temperature ranges. When a hot or cold beverage is served at too high or too low a temperature the resultant product may be undesirable.
In a retail setting, such as in a restaurant or store, a beverage consumer's displeasure may lead the consumer to discard the beverage and no longer purchase beverages from a particular vendor who sold the beverage, or the vendor may have to offer an alternative beverage. Either option is wasteful, not cost effective, and can be damaging to consumer relationships.
As with other food products, hot beverages such as coffee or tea have a period of time or “life” during which flavor characteristics are optimal or at least desirable. Various factors can influence the “life”. For example, it might be possible to extend the life of a heated beverage by reducing evaporation due to exposure of the beverage to the atmosphere, regulating the temperature of the beverage, and preventing overheating or “cooking” of the beverage.
Attempts have been made to extend the “life” of a heated beverage retained in a server by regulating the temperature of beverage in the server. One form of beverage server utilizes heat resistant and heat conductive material for a beverage reservoir. A flame from a source such as a gelled fuel is placed under the reservoir to heat the beverage contained therein. This arrangement may not be preferred because the flame does not provide uniform or controllable heating of the beverage in relation to the quantity of beverage retained in the server, the amount of fuel, the temperature of the fuel, and other factors.
Warming plates have been used to keep beverages such as coffee hot. Such warming plates can be an improvement over the exposed flame systems in that the plates generally produce more consistent heat at a generally constant power level. However, such warming plates generally have not been controllable and have a tendency to result in cooking of the coffee.
In addition to applying heat to a beverage, other methods of regulating the temperature of a stored beverage have been employed. Passive servers, such as those which use insulated reservoirs, for example, glass, or metal insulated thermal servers, have been used to prevent heat loss of a beverage after the heated beverage is placed within the reservoir. Some degree of heat loss still occurs despite the use of insulation and as a result, the beverage may only be kept at a desired temperature for a limited period of time.
Based on the above information and other reasons which may not have been mentioned, there exists a need for a temperature control system, method and apparatus which can be used to extend the duration and consistency of the life of a beverage within a beverage server by controlling various factors associated with a the temperature of a beverage.
The present disclosure envisions a temperature control system, method and apparatus employing at least a controller and a temperature control assembly which work in combination with each other to facilitate control of numerous temperature attributes of an associated beverage contained within a beverage server. The temperature control system should be capable of working in conjunction with a beverage maker or a remote station for serving a beverage away from the beverage maker.
Additional features will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the drawings illustrating at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Additional features will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the drawings.